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Emily (Books with Emily Fox on Youtube)'s Reviews > Artemis
Artemis
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Emily (Books with Emily Fox on Youtube)'s review
bookshelves: 2-star-y-am-i-doing-this-to-myself
Jun 01, 2017
bookshelves: 2-star-y-am-i-doing-this-to-myself
A new book from Andy Weir? Happening on the moon? A heist where the main character survives with her scientific knowledge?
COUNT ME IN!!
I was so excited for this book but I didn't end up loving nearly as much as The Martian.
Even though I liked the overall idea, I didn't like the characters and the constant jokes and insults felt incredibly forced.
The main character Jazz, a 26 years old woman, was talking and thinking like a cringy 15 years old boy. She mentions a few times her appearance and sexuality in an unnatural way. I don't understand why men authors struggle so hard to write female characters.
At one point, she stays the night at a friend's house and after showering she wears one of his shirts. He comes back and, him being awkward with women, simply stares at her not knowing what to say. She thinks to herself "I was pretty sexy I have to admit"... really?
Most characters had cringy moments like this and it ruined the book for me.
I'm still not sure how to review the ending so I'll have to sleep on it and come back for an update!
UPDATE: After thinking about it, I wanted to add that it was interesting to read about the heist with the scientific knowledge thrown in there but it wasn't enough to make this book a must-read. It didn't live up to my expectations!
UPDATE 2: The more I think about it the more disappointed and angry I am so I'm reducing it to 2 stars!
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
REVIEW: https://youtu.be/TkxckLFcKYE?t=8m9s
COUNT ME IN!!
I was so excited for this book but I didn't end up loving nearly as much as The Martian.
Even though I liked the overall idea, I didn't like the characters and the constant jokes and insults felt incredibly forced.
The main character Jazz, a 26 years old woman, was talking and thinking like a cringy 15 years old boy. She mentions a few times her appearance and sexuality in an unnatural way. I don't understand why men authors struggle so hard to write female characters.
At one point, she stays the night at a friend's house and after showering she wears one of his shirts. He comes back and, him being awkward with women, simply stares at her not knowing what to say. She thinks to herself "I was pretty sexy I have to admit"... really?
Most characters had cringy moments like this and it ruined the book for me.
I'm still not sure how to review the ending so I'll have to sleep on it and come back for an update!
UPDATE: After thinking about it, I wanted to add that it was interesting to read about the heist with the scientific knowledge thrown in there but it wasn't enough to make this book a must-read. It didn't live up to my expectations!
UPDATE 2: The more I think about it the more disappointed and angry I am so I'm reducing it to 2 stars!
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
REVIEW: https://youtu.be/TkxckLFcKYE?t=8m9s
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Reading Progress
June 1, 2017
– Shelved
July 22, 2017
–
Started Reading
July 22, 2017
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 86 (86 new)
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Peggy
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Jul 21, 2017 10:51AM
jealous! !!
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What's an e-arc?
I have a request in for it. I probably won't get it but I can hope anyway!
I got the e-arc of this. Planning on reading it in August.
The author of The Circle, David Eggers, struggled with a female character, too. She and her friend kept joking about kissing each other and it made absolutely no sense and felt like he was writing based on what he'd seen in some B-list movie.
I'm honestly not surprised at all that men continue to be unable to write realistic and well-rounded female characters, especially teens and 20-somethings. Are we really THAT hard to understand?! I have been so so excited for this book, but boy, that line is cringey all right. Hopefully I'll be able to see past those issues for the sake of the awesome setting and plot.
Women are humans too. If someone can write a well-rounded male character, they should be able to write a well rounded female character as well. And if they can't, I think it says more about the author than it does about their writing abilities.
Yes, Jenn! You nailed it. Reminds me of that quote from GRRM...
From the dawn of time, men cannot figure out women. HA!!
The book cover is A M A Z I N G :O
I'm really struggling with the writing as well. I feel like comments comparing domes to "boobs", excitement about biting nipples in space suits, and " I giggled like a girl because I am one" super annoying. They take me out of the story and make me very aware that the author isn't a woman but is enjoying writing about one in a way that feels awkward and inauthentic. Sooo, you give the ending a big thumbs up. I am tempted to put the book aside after 100 pages (in fact I started a Brandon Sanderson one). Should I keep going?
I felt the exact same way. I almost feel like Andy needs a heavy-handed female editor to help with his dialog a bit.
I finished it a few days ago. Felt the same way about the way Jazz was written. If it weren't for that this book would have been a lot better, since I think the setting and story were pretty interesting. I still enjoyed it, but whenever I talk about it with people I have to include a BIG caveat about the way Jazz was written.
Yes!!! I enjoyed the book, but literally cringed at so many points. It's not the first really bad female character I've read, but it was a monumentally bad one. I really enjoyed the book otherwise, but that's a pretty major problem.
"The main character Jazz, a 26 years old woman, was talking and thinking like a cringy 15 years old boy."That really sums up my problem so far. I wouldn't know she was female if i hadn't been told repeatedly, and i haven't gotten far enough for some contrived circumstance to require exposition including her age.
I came on here to spoil Artemis for myself and omg your review is everything I’m feeling right now! Also, boobs. Everything is shaped like boobs. COOL.
I feel ike a 3 is too kind of a rating for a book that deals with females like Weir deals with Jazz. Still, I wholeheartedly agree with the contents of your review, verbatim.
I'm reading this book now and feeling the exact same way!
Staying away from this book after reading your review. Seriously. The Crown Conspiracy has the same problem. It comes off as if these men view the female sex as 'otherworldly' and totally different from men in character. That's why they can't approach it from a "women are people, too" perspective. It's incredibly annoying and childish. I imagine the author still in 3rd grade thrown spitballs and teasing girls that he has a crush on. Grow up.
Thank you for the review. I must agree with you on many counts. I enjoyed the first half a lot, and then the dialogue descends into saccharine silly. I did love the science and world-building
This review was very accurate as I just finished the book and my biggest issue was with the character of Jazz. It was cringeworthy as stated by others. I often times forgot how old she was supposed to be.
Amanda wrote: "I often times forgot how old she was supposed to be. "I pegged her at 16-18 years old at first!
I’m reading it at the moment, and I’m finding Jazz monumentally annoying. Weir’s writing of her is terrible and beyond cringey. I’m not sure if this is going to have to be one I never finish. Great review by the way. I love it when reviews get people talking!
I think Jazz would be okay if she was redeemed in the second half, more caring and less self-centered. Writing "edgy" characters is not easy. I guess with the yuge success of The Martian, his editor/publisher was afraid to make major changes...
That exact moment with the t-shirt was one that I literally put the book down during. Too many weird sex references throughout...
I'm barely halfway through and Jazz's constant inner monologue is annoying the shit out of me! it's almost as cringey as Ana Steele's from 50 Shades. I'm hoping she redeems herself as I read on, because as interesting as the premise is, if the character writing doesn't get better in the next half, I'm putting this one in my never-finished-reading-it shelf.
Tracey Bay wrote: "The Martian wasn't my cup of tea (didn' like the humor) but I was hoping to enjoy Artemis more - the plot caught my attention. After your review I think I'll pass."You would hate it - the humor is 1000x worst (and I loved the Martian!) but this is just bad. Everything is space apparently looks like boobs.
I dnf The Martian because of all the scientific jargon along with the mathematics.I saw a review of Artemis on another booktube channel which the reviewer said that Andy Wier never gives a description of anything, sort of leaving it up to a set director to fill that in. He does include a diagram which is suppose to make up for the lack of descriptions.
Well, if Andy has a son named Andy in the 7th grade, it sorta makes sense. But why isn't this book labeled "YA" or even "Please don't bring back to library. Please."
Why, oh WHY, would anyone, ever, ever, hire Jazz to do anything? I mean, she falls in love with a gay man, first of all. Given that this is SET IN THE FUTURE, and given that the whole gay uproar is DONE, I can't possibly see ANY reason why anyone would hide their sexual preferences in the future.
Silea wrote: "Boobs?"Okay, yes, true. But shouldn't she have, then, used them to blow up that fourth harvester? I mean, do you think Trond hired her because during Weir's, whoops, I meant her transgender operation they gave her rock hard boobs? (That can actually happen in real life science!!!)
Silea wrote: "Boobs?"It all makes sense now. She was a guy, dating a guy, then he left her for Dale when she turned into a gal.
You really summed up what bothered me about Jazz's characterization. It read like a dude's perspective of how a woman might think, instead of being how a person would actually react in a situation. And it was always in a terrible, stereotyped way.
Anna wrote: "Exactly how I feel about this book so far. I am half way through and the excitement I felt to read it has disappeared already. The dialogs sounds very unnatural to me and you pointed out exactly wh..."I blasted through the first half and then it all fell apart. 😥
Totally agree with your review!
I don't know if all male authors, but definetely this one. I cringed so hard many times reading this, I knew there was something very wrong with Jazz's humor. I applaud his intention to make a character out of his comfort zone, but oh god, he doesn't know women at all.Or maybe, he just wanted to write a extraordinarily rare, and obnoxious woman with the humor of a teenage boy, in which case he completely succeeded
Everything else in the book wasn't as bad, though.
Greg wrote: "Why, oh WHY, would anyone, ever, ever, hire Jazz to do anything? I mean, she falls in love with a gay man, first of all. Given that this is SET IN THE FUTURE, and given that the whole gay uproar is..."Of course there will be need to hide sexual orientations in the future. It takes many generations for a lot of stigmas to die, specially those founded in religious beliefs.
I read this synopsis in the store and it sounded so good!! i’m only about 70 pages in and i’m so disappointed. the dialogue, the world building, the characters aren’t keeping my interest, which is really sad because i’ve only ever not finished 3 books that i’ve started, but at this point I might have to add this one to the list.
All of the above and... anyone noticed how he kept repeating 'pain in the ass' like he ran out of words to describe somebody or something being annoying? I was so excited about this book at first, went and got myself a copy just last night. I'm only at page 87 and hating the some of the dialogues and most of the monologues. But I'm curious about how 'her little heist is about to land her in the middle of a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself'. Also for the sake of my love for all things sci-go. So I suppose I'll just have to bear with all the other stuff.
I just assumed she talked like a man because she was entirely raised by a man, in the lower class, in a trades job, surrounded by other men, homeless at 16, smuggler for 10 years, and is friends with those she utilizes for smuggling. Laborers, which are nearly entirely men. You don't become a princess working as a smuggler around the working class.
It's Moon, not moon. Not just a moon, but Earth's Moon.
